Still “No Elves” in the New Talislanta Roleplaying Game

HOUSTON, Texas - October 2, 2015 - Nocturnal Media today introduced Talislanta: The Savage Land (TSL), a new vision for the classic Talislanta Roleplaying Game. The first version of the Talislanta RPG debuted in 1986. It was known for its non-traditional fantasy setting, which featured hundreds of unusual races, creatures, and archetypes, and for a series of ads that ran under the headline, “No Elves”.

“TSL is a project that I’ve wanted to do for many years,” said Stephan Michael Sechi, creator of Talislanta, “but probably wouldn’t have ever gotten around to doing it if it hadn’t been for John Harper and Jerry Grayson — two terrific game designers who, after I described it as ‘Talislanta on steroids and acid’, told me that they thought it was a cool idea. TSL is set in an earlier era in Talislanta’s history: a post-apocalyptic ‘dark ages’ hinted at in several of the old Talislanta books, but never really explored until now.“

Preferring to concentrate on the creative work of building the prequel to his famous game world, Stephan opted to seek a publishing partner instead of self-publishing the roleplaying game as he did the original Talislanta. He chose Nocturnal Media, operated by award-winning game designer and publisher Stewart Wieck, founder of White Wolf Publisher and co-creator of roleplaying games such as Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension.

“My first company White Wolf also dates to 1986 with the first issue of White Wolf Magazine,” said Stewart Wieck, publisher at Nocturnal Media. “In those years of covering games beyond the industry-leading Dungeons & Dragons, Talislanta stood out as a great achievement. We featured Talislanta in several issues and on the cover of one issue too. I’m very excited to now have the opportunity to work with Steve creating a Talislanta-prequel.”

Talislanta: The Savage Land is the first all-new Talislanta game book to be produced in almost thirty years. Where the first Talislanta game was set many centuries after a cataclysm known as The Great Disaster, TSL takes place just a few years after this catastrophe, which the inhabitants of this era refer to as The Fall. In this post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, the great civilization of the Archaens is no more. The last kingdoms have fallen, and the sorcerer-kings have fled or been killed by their own creations. With them went all knowledge of spell-casting, leaving only primitive rituals and superstitions. In this milieu, Talislanta is truly a savage and dangerous land, ruled by wild tribes and beast-folk consumed by the constant struggle to survive.

The game world still has “no elves”, but rather features a host of unique races such as the Drakken, massive reptilian humanoids whose ancestors once ruled the entire continent of Talislanta, and the Talosians, intelligent automatons created by the technomancers of old Archaeus. Each of these so-called archetypes forms the basis for player characters and each is presented in a painting by talented Spanish illustrator David Arenas.

“TSL is an action-packed RPG that is easy to learn and play,” explained Stephan Michael Sechi. “Like the original Talislanta, it’s a total departure from traditional fantasy RPGs. You can play any of 24 Savage Land archetypes, such as Vandar Warriors, Shaka Hunters, Kasiran Seers, Warlok Assassins, and Drakken Warrior-Poet. Or use the simple Mass Action Table rules, and become chieftain of your own tribe, conquer other lands, build or demolish strongholds, and maybe even become a legend. These are just a few of the possibilities in Talislanta: The Savage Land.”

In addition to the RPG is a webcomic based on the Talislanta: The Savage Land written by Stephan Michael Sechi and illustrated by UK artist Ben Dennett. Called "Tales of the Savage Land", the comic will be available by subscription at DriveThruComics.com.

The first installment of this saga tells the story of Severus, a living relic from the past who may be the last of a legendary race of hybrid-warriors known as the Vandar. Discovered and taken captive by Golgoth slavers, the newly-awakened Severus finds himself in a strange and hostile post-apocalyptic world in which only the strongest can hope to survive.

“Talislanta’s rich setting inspired me when I was a young artist delving into worlds of fantasy,” said illustrator Ben Dennett. “And while my work like concept art for wands and magical artifacts in Harry and the Goblet of Fire is a far cry from the post-apocalyptic world of TSL, I am honored and pleased to play a part in telling the tales of the history of the Savage Land.”

Talislanta: The Savage Land is scheduled for Summer 2016 and “Tales of the Savage Land” will launch on DriveThruComics.com in December 2015. Both the RPG and webcomic will seek funding as Kickstarter projects. Dates for these campaigns will be announced in coming months.

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All the latest news from Nocturnal Media scrolls down the screen at the left, but in addition to announcements and updates, this section contains blog-like material by Stewart Wieck, owner of Nocturnal Media. These more personal pieces could have a section of their own, but it seemed better to consider them in the context of the concurrent news. In this way, the business information and the blog entries together form a sort of digital history of Nocturnal Media and game-designer & author Stewart Wieck.